The Armed Republic of Varnesk is a tiny, orderly nation, notable for its ritual sacrifices, triple-decker prams, and stringent health and safety legislation. The cynical population of 12 million Varneskians are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

The enormous, socially-minded, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Education, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 70.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The basket case Varneskian economy, worth 200 billion Vareks a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector is led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with major contributions from Furniture Restoration, Uranium Mining, and Woodchip Exports. Average income is 16,727 Vareks, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The state conscripts sociopathic orphan girls to train as professional assassins, the banhammer is a standard police sidearm, parents who refuse to vaccinate their children are given a short jail sentence, and churches frequently hold public 'contraception burnings'. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Varnesk's national animal is the Bear, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Varnesk is ranked 222,632^nd in the world and 363^rd in Edoca for Largest Trout Fishing Sector, scoring zero on the Nemo Depletion Efficiency Index.